Boosting Productivity

With National Coffee Day celebrated in the U.S. and Canada on September 29th,  International Coffee Day is right around the corner (October 1st ). Some franchises even give away free coffee to celebrate this important drink which has had a major impact on our culture. As an avid coffee and sometimes tea drinker, coffee and caffeine have been a major part of my life since I served in the Army many years ago.

The taste, different ways to prepare it, and effects it has on us mentally and physically, are some of the reasons myself and so many others make this drink a regular part of our lives. I have a plaque in my home office that says “A yawn is a silent scream for COFFEE.” I’ve found this statement true throughout my years in the workforce. 

When we think about ways to boost our productivity, our daily routine is a good place to start. Though coffee is incorporated and essential to that routine, our success hinges on how structured and disciplined we are by sticking to it. When I was first promoted to an Assistant Program Manager, I had my whole week planned out.

This was similar to when I was in high school and wrote down which outfits I would wear that week. This was my personal preference and routine that helped me keep things up to date. Planning my week helped with creating a routine and built structure so I could keep things fresh and stay ahead of the game.

Though our routine can be disrupted by the hustle and bustle of life and daily tasks, when our routine is written out or has become habitual, it’s easier to get back on track. I don’t think anyone or any business could fully prepare for the pandemic and how 2020 to present day has impacted our lives. We did the best we could with transitioning from the office to work from home and finding a sense of normalcy.

And we’re still figuring out ways to structure the workforce to be as successful as possible despite these changes. Some countries (Japan, Spain and New Zealand) even looked at doing four day work weeks, to help with work-life balance. They did find successful with experimenting with a more flexible schedule and saw a boost of productivity among workers. More details on this article here. But there were many challenging days for me personally during this time, however, building a routine, even in the midst of chaotic days, helped me bring some structure to my life, team, and department as a whole. 

Even before I went to work I had a morning routine that gave me an assist before arriving. I would get out the bed (sometimes after a few alarms went off) have a moment of prayer, meditation, and affirmation while preparing coffee, do my hygiene (brush my teeth, take a shower style my hair) iron my clothes (I sometimes did this the week before but found it helped me wake up more in the morning) and grab a bite to eat (something quick like oatmeal, toast or fruit). If I was up early enough, I would make a run to Dunkin Donuts or a nearby donut shop to get myself an enhanced coffee (barista style) and my team breakfast.

If I was running behind (which happens to the best of us) I would make coffee when I got to work after greeting everyone and before starting my day. The coffee wasn’t the greatest but was free so we couldn’t complain that much. But things did change when we went to work from home as I had to modify my routine a bit. The struggle was definitely real during this time as we now could sleep in longer if we wanted to, didn’t have to travel, could take more coffee breaks when we NEEDED, and had countless distractions that can come from a work from home environment. 

You didn’t have to dress up if you didn’t want to or look presentable unless you had a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting to host or attend. I went from wearing dress shirts and slacks, to wearing t-shirts and pajama pants to work. I still wore dress shirts on occasion but didn’t feel the need to dress up as much anymore. This may not work for some as dressing up for the day can help with productivity and boost morale.

On the other hand, being comfortable as possible can hinder us from performing up to our full potential, depending on what works best and how we’re motivated. But that’s the beauty of a routine, do what works best for you! We have to be honest with ourselves on this because wearing more comfortable clothes, sleeping in later, and taking more breaks can ultimately work against our productivity. Here’s a look at 5 Productivity Hacks we can use right away!

As they say, numbers don’t lie (for the most part) so if we see our stats steadily decreasing, have a plethora of incomplete tasks, or a ton of missed opportunities regarding our quality of work, we may need to restructure our daily routine. Granted, there are things outside of our control that can impact this: team members that refuse to implement the plan, random or consistent tech issues, decrease in workforce, increased attrition, lack of support in your department, financial or personal concerns are all things that can take away from our productivity.

However, just like goals, a daily routine can be revisited, reshaped, and restructured to help us check the boxes and feel more confident and accomplished everyday. Here are some before, during, and after work activities we can do to help us become more productive, no matter what position or career we’re in (business owner, manager for a company, in an entry level position).

BEFORE WORK:

• Do your best to get rest and get up on time– Whether it’s 6am, 9am, or 12pm, depending on your work schedule and what works best for you productivity wise, TRY to get some rest and get the day started on time. This can help us jump start our day and put us in a productive mindset. Using Google Calendar or a note on your phone associated with the alarm, can help put in perspective the task(s) ahead of us.

• Make your bed, prepare for work, prayer, reflection, meditation– You’ll be surprised how making our bed, prayer, meditation, and  personal hygiene can put us in a better mood or mindset for work if time permits. Working from home is even more challenging as you can roll out of bed a few minutes before your shift and start your day a hot mess. I don’t recommend that though (he said cackling like a hyena). Driving to work listening to something positive or when working from home before you prepare to log on, can help set the ambience and tone for the day. 

• Eat breakfast, have coffee or tea, have a brief upbeat/positive conversation with loved ones if possible – Eating something for breakfast and having coffee or tea can help improve our mood, alertness, and help prepare us for the day. A short, positive or uplifting conversation with loved ones can be fruitful as well.

DURING WORK:

• Have your scheduled tasks written down for the day– Though we can remember certain tasks and plans, it’s good to write it down until it becomes natural or routine to accomplish. Try selecting certain days for certain tasks to help with this. This way, we keep it at the forefront of our minds. When situations arise: employee concerns that need immediate attention, random meetings, client concerns we need to address, we’ll be better equipped to pick up where we left off (after we vent if needed that is). Working from home, can also pose challenges when it comes to our social media and distractions. Try making it inconvenient to access social media or your phone during work hours if need be.

• Pace yourself– It’s good to get ahead of the game, however, if getting ahead means you have to stay late or come into work earlier than intended or scheduled, it could cause us to become overwhelmed or burnt out if we deviate too much from our routine. As leaders, we do have to put in extra hours, that’s to be expected. However, we don’t want to create a routine of overworking. This can be counterproductive as it puts us in a cycle or loop of dysfunctionality.

• Give yourself an assist for the next day– Knowing what tasks we need to complete and setting it up for the next day, can help us have a smoother, more productive day; even though things may come up that can throw us off course. 

AFTER WORK:

• TRY, and I do mean TRY to unplug and leave work at work– This is easier said than done and nearly impossible when you’re working from home or even at the office, but try to set a schedule and stick to a routine after work. This can play an integral part in how productive we are when we return to work. 

• Take time off– This is synonymous with disconnecting from work. If you have an off day or personal time off, use it as such! Take a mental health day: do your hobby, spend time with friends or family, get some fresh air, workout, go walking, all are great avenues to help us decompress and recharge for when we go back to work. We don’t want to take time off just to complete another task at home. This can eventually catch up with us healthwise. But here is a look at 5 Productivity Hacks we can use to help with our work-life balance:

These are all important steps we can take to help with our productivity, proficiency, and overall positive outlook. Coffee is important as well, even when we build a tolerance to it and don’t feel the effects of caffeine as much. The routine of having a cup a coffee (or two) can still be one of the highlights of our day. It can help provide more alertness, is used to initiate conversation, give us a break from work, allows up to recharge and take our mind off things. More about the science behind caffeine and its effects here.

But when looking at our daily routine and how closely we follow it is predicated on how well we plan before the day comes, and how well we implement our routine the day of. Making up our mind to stick to a routine that works best for us, is how we can boost and consistently increase/improve our productivity. Keep working at, results will follow!